updated 9:20 a.m. ET Jan. 23, 2006

MELBOURNE, Australia - Martina Hingis took another step on the comeback trail Monday, beating Samantha Stosur 6-1, 7-6 (8) to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals.

Hingis, in her first tournament since coming back from a three-year retirement, converted on her fourth match point, showing the same savvy she used to win five Grand Slam titles.

“I started off very well, I knew that I had to be right there from the start — we both probably were very nervous,” Hingis said. “I knew I couldn’t give her any momentum.”

The 25-year-old Swiss star next faces her biggest challenge so far against second-seeded Kim Clijsters, who has spent nearly all of her off-court time getting worked on by trainers.

Clijsters showed no signs of the back and hip pain that has bothered her for the last week as she beat 15th-seeded Francesca Schiavone of Italy for a 7-6 (5), 6-4.

Hingis blunted Stosur’s strong ground strokes with an often-stunning blend of perfectly placed baseline shots, crisp volleys and soft drops that had the Australian dashing to the net for a pickup only to see the next shot lobbing over her head.

Stosur, ranked 98th, seemed befuddled and almost on the verge of tears at times in the first set, giving the partisan crowd little to cheer about as she impatiently tried to hit winners.

In a sign of things to come, Hingis won the first point on a net court that dribbled over for a winner. She ran off the last five games of the first set, finishing it off in just 23 minutes.

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But the second set was tougher, with Hingis getting the first break on a running forehand crosscourt pass that left Stosur virtually flat-footed.

Both struggled with their serves, trading breaks four times in 12 games.

Hingis had chances to serve for the match at 5-4 and 6-5, but was broken both times.

Stosur, feeding off the crowd’s energy and finally showing the form that got her through three matches, refused to wilt.

Stosur pulled ahead 5-2 in the tiebreaker. This time, it was Hingis’ turn to rally. She ran off four straight points to set up her first match point that Stosur fended off with a 33-shot rally that ended when Hingis sent a forehand that landed at her feet well wide.

Stosur saved two more match points before Hingis finally finished it off on her fourth chance when Stosur netted a forehand.

“Toward the end, I just don’t want to remember the other finals I played here and lost in the second set,” said Hingis, who blew four match points before losing to Jennifer Capriati in the 2002 final here.

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Clijsters overcame the stinging baseline power of Schiavone.

“I was a bit scared,” Clijsters said of the nagging injuries that had her questioning whether she would even show up in Melbourne Park this year.

“I’ve probably been in the physio room more in the last week than in my life,” she said. “Hopefully it’ll pay off.”

Clijsters had trouble with her serve, with four double-faults, and had 43 unforced errors that could be attributed to staying off the court on her off-days.

“It’s more important to rest than just be out there practicing,” she said.

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WTA Championship winner Amelie Mauresmo cruised into the quarterfinals, committing only two unforced errors in a 6-1, 6-1 victory over 16-year-old Nicole Vaidisova.

Mauresmo next plays Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder, who beat 2004 French Open champion Anastasia Myskina 6-2, 6-1 in 55 minutes.

Myskina struggled with her groundstrokes and had 32 unforced errors against only 13 for seventh-seeded Schnyder.

Mauresmo reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open for the fourth time on her second match point when Vaidisova hit a forehand into the net.

While Vaidisova was seeded 16th and dictated the pace of the match, the young Czech showed her inexperience on center court with 34 unforced errors to 14 winners and had her serve broken five times. Mauresmo won nearly twice as many points, 51-27.

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